I would describe the data in this post as fair at best, worrisome at worst.
The slow recovery continues.
From the BLS report for September that was delayed by the shutdown:
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 148,000 in September, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 7.2 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
Employment increased in construction, wholesale trade, and transportation and warehousing.Household Survey Data
The unemployment rate, at 7.2 percent, changed little in September but has declined by
0.4 percentage point since June. The number of unemployed persons, at 11.3 million, was
also little changed over the month; however, unemployment has decreased by 522,000 since
June. […]Establishment Survey Data
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 148,000 in September, with gains in
construction, wholesale trade, and transportation and warehousing. Over the prior
12 months, employment growth averaged 185,000 per month.
Some of the best news, such as it is, is that the participation rate remained unchanged from August to September at 63.2 percent. (At least it didn’t go down.)
